ViaSurprise feeder: Basel - Dornach

From Basel train station, the stage leads over Aeschenplatz, past the St. Alban Gate, and then along the St. Alban Canal, a canal constructed in the High Middle Ages that runs through the city of Basel to Münchenstein. From Aeschenplatz, a detour to the Basel Münster, which towers above the Rhine, is highly recommended. Münsterplatz offers a beautiful view over the old town and the river. The Museum of Cultures at the other end of Münsterplatz is worth a visit, as is the view of the magnificent buildings of former silk manufacturers who made Basel a wealthy trading city before and during industrialization. Also worth a visit is the Basel Paper Mill, the Swiss Museum of Paper, Writing and Printing. A special feature of the paper museum is that visitors also have the opportunity to try their hand at the “white” or “black” art, i.e., paper making or printing. The path leads along the St. Alban Canal to St. Jakob Park. From here, the path follows the Birs river, past the Pferderennbahn Schänzli and various sports fields to the “Park in the Green”, the former Grün 80 site. Following the river further, you will repeatedly encounter quiet areas in the heart of the vibrant Basel agglomeration, for example in Reinacher Heide, before reaching the busy station of Arlesheim/Dornach in a few minutes over the Nepomuk bridge, right next to the former Capuchin monastery Dornach, which also serves as an overnight stop. There is much to discover in Arlesheim/Dornach: this is the center of anthroposophy, the Goetheanum, and the Capuchin monastery Dornach. The visit of the proud cathedral of Arlesheim and the nearby Ermitage, the largest English landscape park in Switzerland, is highly recommended. From here, two options open to continue the way on the ViaSurprise circular route. Eastwards, the route leads through the Ermitage and further on the circular path to Seewen and Reigoldswil. Westwards the route runs over the Blauen to Mariastein and further towards Zwingen and Beinwil.